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Oral Literature in Africa

Author : Ruth Finnegan

Publisher : Open Book Publishers

Page : 614 pages

File Size : 26,61 MB

Release : 2012-09

Category : Social Science

ISBN : 1906924708

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Book Description

Ruth Finnegan's Oral Literature in Africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Based on years of fieldwork, the study traces the history of storytelling across the continent of Africa. This revised edition makes Finnegan's ground-breaking research available to the next generation of scholars. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, "drum language" and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in Africa. This book is the first volume in the World Oral Literature Series, an ongoing collaboration between OBP and World Oral Literature Project. A free online archive of recordings and photographs that Finnegan made during her fieldwork in the late 1960s is hosted by the World Oral Literature Project (http: //www.oralliterature.org/collections/rfinnegan001.html) and can also be accessed from publisher's website.



Encyclopedia of African Literature

Author : Simon Gikandi

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 886 pages

File Size : 16,8 MB

Release : 2003-09-02

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 1134582234

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Book Description

The most comprehensive reference work on African literature to date, this book contains over 600 entries that cover criticism and theory, its development as a field of scholarship, and studies of established and lesser-known writers.



African Literature

Author : Jonathan P. Smithe

Publisher : Nova Publishers

Page : 152 pages

File Size : 42,55 MB

Release : 2002

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 9781590332900

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Book Description

African literature, like the continent itself is enormous and diverse. East Africa's literature is different from West Africa's which is quite different from South Africa's which has different influences on it than North Africa's. Africa's literature is based on a widespread heritage of oral literature, some of which has now been recorded. Arabic influence can be detected as well as European, especially French and English. Legends, myths, proverbs, riddles and folktales form the mother load of the oral literature. This book presents an overview of African literature as well as a comprehensive bibliography, primarily of English language sources. Accessed by subject, author and title indexes.



The Companion to African Literatures

Author : G. D. Killam

Publisher : Indiana University Press

Page : 346 pages

File Size : 31,49 MB

Release : 2000

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 9780253336330

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Book Description

"Refreshing..." -- African Sudies Review "The entries are knowledgeable, thorough, and clearly written.... Highly recommended... " --Choice "...an ambitious reference guide to works on African literature." - African Studies Review "This comprehensive compendium will be a handy companion for anyone working on African literatures. The entries are authoritative and up-to-date, providing reliable information on the hundreds of authors and texts that have contributed to a whole continent's literary flowering." --Bernth Lindfors A comprehensive introduction and guide to African-authored works, with over 1,000 cross-referenced entries covering classics in African writing, literary genres and movements, biographical details of authors, and wider themes linking African, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American literatures.



Africa in Literature for Children and Young Adults

Author : Meena Khorana

Publisher : Greenwood

Page : 0 pages

File Size : 21,45 MB

Release : 1994-12-12

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0313254885

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Book Description

While much critical attention has been given to adult literature, African literature for children and young adults remains a neglected area. As the United States becomes an increasingly pluralistic society, it becomes all the more important for children and young adults to be exposed to books set in Africa. This bibliography includes entries for nearly 700 books written in English by both African and Western authors and published between 1873 and 1994. An additional 120 books are either discussed or mentioned in the annotations. The entries are organized in six chapters. The first chapter includes general works, while the others are devoted to particular geographic regions. Within each chapter, entries are further grouped according to genres, such as traditional literature, biography, poetry, drama, fiction, autobiography, and informational books. Entries are then listed alphabetically. Each entry includes an annotation that provides a plot/content summary, thematic analysis, literary evaluation, and sensitivity to multicultural and international issues; an indication of the recommended grade level for the book is included. The books are carefully selected to give fair representation to the various regions and countries of Africa, literary genres, prominent authors and books, and literary phases; the author has tried to include all available books published in the 1980s and 1990s. The introductory essay provides an in-depth analysis of the social, political, cultural, and literary contexts of the three phases of African children's literature: colonial, postcolonial Western, and postcolonial African. This bibliography is intended for scholars, teachers, librarians, parents, students, and general readers.



The Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945

Author : Oyekan Owomoyela

Publisher : Columbia University Press

Page : 228 pages

File Size : 40,65 MB

Release : 2008-10-21

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 9780231512152

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Book Description

Composed by a premier scholar of African literature, this volume is a comprehensive guide to the literary traditions of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, five distinct countries bound by their experience with colonialism. Oyekan Owomoyela begins with an overview of the authors, texts, and historical events that have shaped the development of postwar Anglophone literatures in this region, exploring shifts in theme and the role of foreign sponsorship and illuminating recent debates regarding the language, identity, gender, and social commitments of various authors and their works. His introduction concludes with a bibliography of key critical texts. The second half of the volume is an alphabetical tour of writers, publications, concepts, genres, movements, and institutions, with suggested readings for further research. Entries focus primarily on fiction but also touch on drama and poetry. Featured authors include Chris Abani, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cyprian Ekwensi, Uzodinma Chukuka Iweala, Helen Oyeyemi, and Wole Soyinka. Topics range from the European origins of African literature and the West African diaspora to the development of an "African personality," the establishment of a regional publishing industry, and the global literary marketplace. Owomoyela also discusses such influences as the postwar emergence of Onitsha Market Literature, the Mbari Club, and the importance of the Noma Award. Owomoyela's portrait points to the major impact of West African literature on the evolution of both African and world literatures in English. Sure to become the definitive text for research in the field, The Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945 is a vital resource for newcomers as well as for advanced scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the region's rich literary heritage.



Postcolonial African Writers

Author : Siga Fatima Jagne

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 560 pages

File Size : 11,17 MB

Release : 2012-11-12

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 1136593977

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Book Description

This reference book surveys the richness of postcolonial African literature. The volume begins with an introductory essay on postcolonial criticism and African writing, then presents alphabetically arranged profiles of some 60 writers, including Chinua Achebe, Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head, Doris Lessing, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Tahbar Ben Jelloun, among others. Each entry includes a brief biography, a discussion of major works and themes that appear in the author's writings, an overview of the critical response to the author's work, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. These profiles are written by expert contributors and reflect many different perspectives. The volume concludes with a selected general bibliography of the most important critical works on postcolonial African literature.



The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel

Author : F. Abiola Irele

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 309 pages

File Size : 36,19 MB

Release : 2009-07-23

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 1139827707

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Book Description

Africa's strong tradition of storytelling has long been an expression of an oral narrative culture. African writers such as Amos Tutuola, Naguib Mahfouz, Wole Soyinka and J. M. Coetzee have adapted these older forms to develop and enhance the genre of the novel, in a shift from the oral mode to print. Comprehensive in scope, these new essays cover the fiction in the European languages from North Africa and Africa south of the Sahara, as well as in Arabic. They highlight the themes and styles of the African novel through an examination of the works that have either attained canonical status - an entire chapter is devoted to the work of Chinua Achebe - or can be expected to do so. Including a guide to further reading and a chronology, this is the ideal starting-point for students of African and world literatures.



Literatures in African Languages

Author : B. W. Andrzejewski

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 678 pages

File Size : 43,47 MB

Release : 1985-11-21

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0521256461

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Book Description

Although African literatures in English and French are widely known outside Africa, those in the African languages themselves have not received comparable attention. In this book a number have been selected for survey by fourteen specialist writers, providing the reader with an introduction to this very wide field and a body of reference material which includes extensive bibliographies and biographical information on African authors. Theoretical issues such as genre divisions are discussed in the essays and the historical, social and political forces at work in the creation and reception of African literature are examined. Literature is treated as an art whose medium is language, so that both the oral and written forms are encompassed. This book will be of value not only to readers concerned with the cultures of Africa but to all those with an interest in the literary phenomena of the world in general.



A Companion to African Literatures

Author : Olakunle George

Publisher : John Wiley & Sons

Page : 512 pages

File Size : 37,27 MB

Release : 2021-03-22

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 1119058171

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Book Description

Rediscover the diversity of modern African literatures with this authoritative resource edited by a leader in the field How have African literatures unfolded in their rich diversity in our modern era of decolonization, nationalisms, and extensive transnational movement of peoples? How have African writers engaged urgent questions regarding race, nation, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality? And how do African literary genres interrelate with traditional oral forms or audio-visual and digital media? A Companion to African Literatures addresses these issues and many more. Consisting of essays by distinguished scholars and emerging leaders in the field, this book offers rigorous, deeply engaging discussions of African literatures on the continent and in diaspora. It covers the four main geographical regions (East and Central Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa), presenting ample material to learn from and think with. A Companion To African Literatures is divided into five parts. The first four cover different regions of the continent, while the fifth part considers conceptual issues and newer directions of inquiry. Chapters focus on literatures in European languages officially used in Africa -- English, French, and Portuguese -- as well as homegrown African languages: Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, Swahili, and Yoruba. With its lineup of lucid and authoritative analyses, readers will find in A Companion to African Literatures a distinctive, rewarding academic resource. Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in literary studies programs with an African focus, A Companion to African Literatures will also earn a place in the libraries of teachers, researchers, and professors who wish to strengthen their background in the study of African literatures.